TV Recap: The Truth Begins to Unravel in "Good American Family" Episode 7

Thus far, Hulu’s Good American Family has primarily focused on the perspective of either side of the case. The series began from the side of Kristine and Michael Barnett, while the past two episodes have followed Natalia Grace’s exit from the family. This penultimate episode is the first to combine their conflicting narratives, with the fictional Detective Dreysdale becoming the main throughline of the episode. Even the title of this episode comes from one of his lines. Let’s recap.

Episode 7: “If You Tell a Story Well Enough" - Written by Samantha Levenshus

The events of this episode are based on conflicting allegations by Kristine Barnett, Michael Barnett, and Natalia Grace.

2012

We see what life was like for Natalia Grace (Imogen Faith Reid) at the psychiatric hospital that the Barnetts placed her in. She was making the best of a bad situation, making friends with her roommate, a girl named Skye (Noa Berson), and keeping her entertained with a bedtime story. As she told it, Natalia Grace cuddled with a well-loved Hercules. But their fun was interrupted when Nurse Toni (Briana Venskus-Vazquez) came in to announce that Natalia Grace had to change rooms. “We got some paperwork that says you’re older than we thought," she said. Natalia Grace was confused, and she didn’t want to leave Skye. She cried as she was dragged away from the dismal comfort of the children’s psychiatric ward.

The adult ward was scary, almost devoid of color, and the adults looked mean and miserable. Natalia Grace could hear another patient screaming from behind a closed door as she was led to her new room. An adult man was strapped into one of the beds. She was pulled from her previous room so quickly that she left Hercules behind. She asked Toni if she could get it. Instead, the nurse warned Natalia Grace that adults don’t get warnings. “But I can’t sleep without her," Natalia Grace cried.

2013

“I never saw Hercules again," Natalia Grace tells Detective Brandon Drysdale (Dulé Hill), crying as she recalls the traumatic experience. Cynthia Mans (Christina Hendricks) sits with her, upset that Drysdale is continuing all this questioning when they have X-rays that prove she’s a child. Drysdale turns the camera off, having been recording the interview, to speak off the record. He tells Cynthia that he thinks he has found a strategy. Because Natalia Grace was placed in the psychiatric hospital, she wasn’t allowed to be part of the re-aging process, so he can fight that the decision was made the wrong way. He will file a subpoena for Natalia’s sealed medical records.  “We should be able to get the ruling thrown out," he tells them. Natalia Grace looks so happy.

2014

Michael Barnett (Mark Duplass) tells himself that he’s happy with his life in Canada, having lived there for almost a full year. He has a new job at a T-Mobile store and made a special Valentine’s Day breakfast for his family. His youngest sons, Wesley (Liam Anderson) and Ethan (Azriel Dalman), don’t seem to care, and his oldest, Jacob (Alas Dalman), is in his second year of graduate school. Michael is incapable of having a conversation on his sons' mental level. His wife, Kristine Barnett (Ellen Pompeo), has a busy speaking schedule following the success of her book. She barely acknowledges the fact that it’s Valentine’s Day, accepting a last-minute trip to Vancouver for two days.

As if his Valentine’s Day couldn’t get any worse, Michael opens the mailbox to find a large envelope with an eye-popping stamp - “Official Court Notice." He brings it to Kristine, showing her the request to unseal Natalia Grace’s medical records. Kristine breathes a sigh of relief when he tells her there’s a form that he can fill out to deny the request.

In a montage that spans 3 years, Michael continues to receive the same request, and he continues to deny them. His life seems like Groundhog Day.

August 2017

Michael enters the kitchen to find Kristine having her hair dyed by a handsome stylist, Daryl (Andrew Key). Asking for privacy, he shows Kristine a new request. A family that Natalia Grace has been staying with has filed to become her new legal guardians. Michael thinks this is a good thing, allowing them to be free of her, but Kristine instantly senses malice. She belittles Michael for not seeing this as a first step to re-aging Natalia Grace and then prosecuting them for child abandonment. She’s on her way out for another TV appearance, so she orders Michael to call in sick to work and drive to Indiana to deal with this. He’s upset, having been promised a date with his wife, their first in what feels like forever. “Until you fix this, the shop is closed," she warns him. Although apparently, it’s been closed for a while.

As Michael drives into Indiana, he’s surprised to suddenly feel free again. He meets with a lawyer, Terrance (Derek Webster), who offers Michael donuts as he word vomits about how good he feels to be back. Terrance agrees with Kristine’s theory about the change in guardianship being the first step in changing Natalia Grae’s age, and he asks for information on how that happened in the first place. Michael tells him that their family doctor would be willing to speak on their behalf, and he describes a file Kristine has kept with evidence. Terrance asks for it, so Michael calls Kristine and talks her through how to take photos of the documents and upload them to a shared folder. When the folder arrives, Michael hands his phone to Terrance. He scrolls through the immigration paperwork, birth certificate, and doctor letter, and then looks embarrassed. The folder includes Kristine’s lingerie selfies - new ones that Michael has never seen before. “I don’t think these are for me," Michael says, his heart in the pit of his stomach. The meeting started with word vomit, but ended with him actually throwing up on the conference table.

Michael sits in his car outside of Villa Tronco where he is supposed to meet up with his old Circuit City crew. He debates confronting Kristine about the photos, but instead pushes the thumbs up button on one of them. Kristine immediately calls him from a supply closet at a TV studio, accusing him of hacking her phone. “I do have to wonder if those were meant for me," Michael says, accusing his wife of sleeping with Daryl. “Have you lost your mind? Darryl is gay," she belittles him, saying the photos were for him as a thank you for handling things. He asks why she would want the lawyer to see them, and she spins it around on Michael, asking why he’s fixating on that. “This is our marriage!" Michael protests, and Kristine calls him “dramatic." When he tells her he can’t keep being treated this way, Kristine goes off on a rant about how he wouldn’t be able to support himself without her. He asks why she’s with him if that’s how she feels. There’s silence from the other end of the call. Michael tells her he has to go. Kristine warns him not to hang up on her, but he does.

Inside the bar, Michael feels even lower when he doesn’t see any of his former Circuit City employees. He’s about to leave when Jennifer (Kim Shaw) emerges, asking if he’s okay and instantly recognizing that he seems unwell. Michael is overwhelmed by her kindness. After a few drinks, he opens up about all the problems with his marriage and the fight he just had with Kristine. Jennifer confesses to never having liked Kristine, recalling how afraid Michael was to tell his wife that Circuit City was closing. She flirtatiously tells him she has something else to share, but only if things are truly done for Michael and Kristine. When he says it's really over, she leans in to kiss him. Michael seems genuinely happy for the first time in a long time.

Cynthia is surprised to find 13-year-old Natalia Grace up late in the kitchen, working on writing her statement for the judge. Inspired by Antwon’s sermons, she’s trying to embed a joke into her speech, and she’s come up with one about feeling like she’s on a roller coaster. Cynthia laughs encouragingly. Natalia Grace shares how anxious she feels to read this in front of Krsitine and Michael. “You know they did this to themselves," Cynthia tells her, adding that they aren’t scheduled to be there anyway. But Natalia Grace is worried they will change their minds. Cynthia reminds Natalia Grace that, unlike the last time she saw them, she now has a fierce defender in “Mama-C."

Antwon Mans (Jerod Haynes) and the family pray around Natalia Grace in the courtroom before the judge enters. Terrance is the sole representative for the Barnetts. Natalia Grace’s counselor, Ken Mabry (Jack Sam Shaw), approaches the stand in the motion to appoint Antwon and Cynthia Mans as Natalia Grace’s legal guardians. The judge (Jim Hoffmaster) notes Natalia’s legal age, 27, and cracks a millennial joke, prompting a forced laugh from Terrance. Without access to Natalia Grace’s previous medical records, he refuses to consider that the previous judge should’ve acted differently. Putting a nail in the case’s coffin, Terrance brings Dr. Steven Lawrence (David Paymer) to the stand, who testifies that as the Barnett family doctor and Natalia Grace’s Primary Care Physician, he can certify that she is an adult. He claims that Natalia Grace was menstruating during her time at the psychiatric hospital, where she was diagnosed with sociopathy, a condition that can only be applied to adults. He tells the judge that the Barnetts remain committed to their role as Natalia Grace’s guardians, describing the girl as “a sick individual."

Drysdale asks Natalia Grace if she remembers Dr. Lawrence. “I’m pretty sure I only saw him once," she tells him.

Ken brings a folder to the judge, recent letters from doctors stating that Natalia Grace’s recent exam proves she’s still a child. Terrence calls them irrelevant, and Ken encourages the judge to listen to Natalia Grace’s words. She stands up, ready to approach the bench, when the door opens. In walks Michael Barnett. Natalia Grace is taken aback. She tries to say hi, waving to him, but he ignores her, proceeding to Dr. Lawrence to thank him for coming. Michael wants to speak, and even though Natalia Grace was about to have her turn, the judge allows it.  

“Lately, I’ve been learning to speak up, to be my own man," Michael says, sharing that he and Kristine aren’t on the same page. But any hope of his having a change of heart goes out the window when he says that when it comes to Natalia Grace, they are on the same page. He says he and Kristine wish to remain her legal guardians to protect other families and to encourage Natalia Grace to live “a life of honesty."

The judge calls Natalia Grace forward. With her letter in hand, she uses her walker to approach. However, the judge has no interest in hearing what Natalia Grace has to say. “You’re lucky to have parents who care about you, who want to help you turn your life around," he tells her, taking the Barnetts' side. He denies both requests and asks Natalia Grace if she has anything to say. “I… have a joke about a rollercoaster…"

Late 2017 - Early 2019

Detective Dreysdale was ready to appeal the judge’s ruling, but Cynthia said it’s been too traumatic for Natalia Grace and that they were done fighting. “The story could’ve ended there," Dreysdale narrates to the audience, admitting that he tried to move on and forget the case. But he and his wife fostered a daughter named Mel, fighting to finalize her adoption. He kept thinking about Natalia Grace, a child in a similar situation to Mel whose story didn’t have a happy ending. And so, he spent his free time going over Natalia Grace’s case files repeatedly. His gut told him that Michael lied in court, and he was disgusted by the fact that Michael avoided making eye contact with his adopted daughter. And then Drysdale made a breakthrough. It wasn’t what was in any of the files, but what wasn’t.

Summer 2019

Detective Dreysdale meets with Dr. Lawrence under the guise of needing to close out a few old cases. Asking about the Barnetts, Dr. Lawrence gushes about how they’re such good people. He shares that his first time meeting Natalia Grace was in around 2007 or 2008, and how he could’ve sworn she was only 4 or 5-years-old. Dreysdale reminds him of the correct timeline, that the Barnetts didn’t adopt Natalia Grace until 2010, asking how he could go from thinking she was a child to being an adult. “I didn’t have anything to do with that whole re-aging business," Dr. Lawrence claims. Dreysdale reminds him that he testified, claiming that Natalia Grace was menstruating while at the pyschiatric hospital and was given an adult diagnosis of sociopathy, none of which was in her discharge paperwork. Getting nervous, Dr. Lawrence says he has to get back to seeing patients, but Dreysdale informs the doctor that Natalia Grace still hasn’t started menstruating and that her most recent bone scans prove she’s still a child. Dr. Lawrence says he only saw Natalia Grace once. “You testified you were her primary physician," Dreysdale reminds him. Dr. Lawrence says he’s a general practitioner who simply referred her to specialists. Dreysdale asks for the names of the doctors he referred her to, surprised that he actually did it, as he claims to have reviewed their findings with the Barnetts and written his recommendation based on their reports. “I was just trying to help," he adds, fearing he is somehow liable.

Every specialist Dr. Lawrence referred Natalia Grace to remembers her well. A dentist (Robert Paterno) recalls how she mostly had baby teeth, placing her age between 6 and 8. The Endocrinologist (Gail Rastorfer) recalls that Natalia Grace’s LH levels were prepubital, and she explained to Kristine that in dwarfism, it’s not abnormal for children to get pubic hair early. “Everybody who met this poor kid was worried about her," another doctor (Michelle Krusiec) tells Dreysdale, recalling that Dr. Lawrence’s receptionist had been talking about how the family was trying to get their child legally declared as an adult despite all of the expert analysis. Fearing for the child, she wrote a letter to both Dr. Lawrence and the Marion County Court to stop them. She thought she had, so she’s crushed when Dreysdale reveals what ultimately happened to Natalia Grace.

Dreysdale has lunch with a colleague, a powerful prosecutor (Marin Hinkle) he wants to take the case. “Can you prove they knew she was a kid?" she asks. She isn’t prepared to take on a case that isn’t a guaranteed win. “Get the parents to admit they knew," she tells him, adding that she did a little homework and learned that the Barnetts are divorced and that Michael is back in Indiana. “If I were him, I’d probably hold a grudge," she adds.

Dreysdale meets with Michael in his backyard (the same location shown in the introduction to Episode 2). Michael talks about how Kristine has made her boys believe he beat their mom and the courts gave her sole custody. “Everybody just believes her," he resigns. “Tell a story well enough, the truth doesn’t always matter," Dreysdale points out, asking that if Michael has any information that could help his custody battle, he should share it. Michael reluctantly begins to talk. “Kristine beat Natalia pretty bad," he says. He describes one incident in which Kristine used her fists and elbows, beating Natalia Grace, demanding she tell them the truth about her age. He was worried enough to record a video of the incident, which Kristine made him delete. “This was a time when doctors were telling us she was probably 8 or 9," he adds. “So you folks knew she was a kid?" Drysdale asks for clarification, his recorder on the picnic table, documenting the interview. Michael pauses, but Dreysdale reminds him that if that’s true, then Kristine was knowingly committing child abuse, and he would surely get custody of his sons back. Michael considers this, and finally admits it - “Yes, we knew she was a kid." Michael thanks Dreyesdale for helping him get his sons back.

Michael seems to be glowing as he cooks spaghetti in the kitchen and talks to Jen about the possibility of getting his boys back. His lips are loose, and he tells her the shocking revelation he shared with the detective. Rather than being overjoyed, she is appalled. “You told me she was an adult," she reminds him. Michael gets defensive, saying he only went along with the plot because Kristine was threatening to take his boys away. “If you told the detective that you knew Natalia was a kid, then you’re probably guilty too," she warns him. Michael doesn’t initially believe her, feeling that Dreysdale is right. But he tests the spaghetti, tossing a noodle against the wall. It sticks, like a premonition of things to come.

Following Kristine’s arrest (from the introduction of Episode 1), she finds herself before a judge pleading not guilty to child abuse.

“What kind of moron admits to a crime he didn’t commit?" she vents to her lawyer, Diedra Haynes (Diandra Lyle), on their way into a meeting with Terrence and Michael. Diedra reminds Kristine to play nice for the sake of her sons. “Trust me, I know how to play nice to get what I want," she brags.

Kristine is unhappy to see Jennifer in the meeting, announcing that this is just for family. “Mike and I are family," Jen protests, and Kristine civilly apologizes. The conversation is all about optics. Kristine and Michael need to seem united to the world, downplaying the facts of their divorce. “Folks just love a good American family," Kristine tells her ex-husband. Jen protests, saying this plan is only in Kristine’s best interest, referring to her as abusive to Michael. “Is that what you’ve been saying?" Kristine asks her ex-husband. Jen is surprised when he responds, “Not exactly." Kristine tells the lawyers that she and Michael message each other often. “I know I’ve hurt you by not letting you see the boys, and you’ve hurt me by choosing Jen, but we have to put all that behind us now," she says, warning Michael that they both face up to 75 years in prison if found guilty, and that their boys will lose both their parents in that case. She reaches out to take Michael’s hand, and he doesn’t pull his back.

Terrence shares that they have the benefit of having access to the prosecution’s discovery. He turns on the TV in the conference room, talking about how the public will be fascinated by Natalia Grace’s dwarfism, so they need the Barnetts' version of the story to be loud and true.

They watch Dreysdale’s video interviews with Natalia Grace. He asks her what she wants to happen to the Barnetts. “I don’t hate them," she says. “What they did to me was wrong. People need to know what happened in that house."

In a montage, we see Kristine and Michael doing lots of TV interviews, saying horrible things about Natalia Grace.

February 2020

Natalia Grace sits with Cynthia and Antwon on a couch. Cameras surround them as the celebrity interviewer, Dr. Phil (Rob Nagle), asks why Natalia Grace is choosing to speak in public now. “They’ve been doing all the talking, so I figured it’s my turn." He asks her directly if she’s an adult scam artist or a child who was left for dead. We don’t see Natalia’s answer.

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Next Episode: “Blood on Her Hands" - Premiering Wednesday, April 30th

With the world watching, Natalia and the Barnetts face off in the court of law and the court of public opinion.